Google updates Web toolkit for better performance

By Tom Sanders on Nov 17, 2006 9:54 AM
Filed under Software

Ajax development tool gains performance and OS X support.

Google has released a version 1.2 of the Google Web Toolkit.

The application has been ported to Apple's OS X operating system and has been tweaked to deliver better performance. Developers now are also able to add widgets such as text boxes and check boxes to expandable menus that are also known as tree items.

Launched as a beta at JavaOne last May, the Google Web Toolkit lets developers convert Java code to an Asynchronous Javascript and XML (Ajax) application. Part of the application have been released under the Apache 2.0 open source licence.

Ajax is a popular programming language that allows developers to craft online applications. Examples of Ajax applications include Flickr and Gmail.

Developing Ajax applications is a challenging process because developer tools such as the Dojo Development Toolkit is still relatively immature. Hand written code meanwhile often lacks in browser compatibility.

By allowing developers to convert Java code into an Ajax application, the Google Web Toolkit tackles most of the issues that developers face.

The Google Web Toolkit as available as free download from Google's website.